• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.25 no.2_spc
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• pp.16-27
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• 2020

Nitrate contamination has received much attention at local as well as regional scales. The domestic situation is not out of exception, and it has been reported to be very serious, particularly within agricultural areas as a result of excessive usage of nitrogen fertilizers. Meanwhile, nitrate can be naturally attenuated by denitrification in subsurface environments. The denitrification occurs through biotic (biological) and abiotic processes, and numerous previous studies preferentially focused the former. However, abiotic denitrification seems to be significant in specific environments. For this reason, this study reviewed the previous studies that focused on abiotic denitrification processes. Firstly, the current status of nitrate contamination in global and domestic scales is presented, and then the effect of geological media on denitrification is discussed while emphasizing the significance of abiotic processes. Finally, the implications of the literature review are presented, along with future research directions that warrant further investigations. The results of previous studies demonstrated that several geological agents could play a vital role in reducing nitrate. Iron-containing minerals such as pyrite, green rust, magnetite, and dissolved ferrous ion are known to be powerful electron donors triggering denitrification. In particular, it was proven that the rate of denitrification by green rust was comparative to that of biological denitrification. The results indicate that abiotic denitrification should be taken into account for more accurate evaluation of denitrification in subsurface environments.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.621-631
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• 2018

In this study, catalyst was made through incipient wetness method using palladium (Pd) as noble metal, indium (In) as secondary metal, and montmorillonite (MK10) and Al pillared montmorillonite (Al-MK10) as supporters. The nitrate reduction rate of the catalysts was measured by batch experiments where H2 gas was used as reducing agent and formic acid as pH controller. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were all used to determine the elemental distribution of Pd, In, Al, and Si on catalysts. It was observed that Al pillaring increased the Al/Si elemental composition ratio and point of zero charge of MK10, but decreased its BET specific surface area and pore volume. The nitrate reduction rate of Al-MK10 Pd/In was 2.0 ~ 2.5 times higher than that of MK10 Pd/In using artificial groundwater (GW) in ambient temperature and pressure. Nitrate reduction rates in GW were 1.2 ~ 1.7 times lower than those in distilled deionized water (DDW). Nitrate reduction rates in acidic conditions were higher than those in neutral condition in both GW and DDW. The amount of produced NH3-N over degraded NO3- at acid conditions was lower than that of neutral condition. Even though the leaching of Pd after reaction was measured in DDW it was not detected when both Al-MK10 Pd/In and MK10 Pd/In were used in GW. The modification of montmorillonite as a supporter significantly increased the reductive catalytic activities of nitrates. However, the ratio of producing ammonia by-products to degraded nitrates in ambient temperature and pressure was similar.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.471-484
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• 2002

Alluviums in the Keum River watershed cover an areal extent of $3,029{\;}\textrm{km}^2$ and contain about 8.1 billion tons of groundwater. However, the waters are severely polluted by nitrate, possibly due to the application of nitrogen fertilizer (>250 N kg/ha) on agricultural land. This paper aims to elucidate the pollution status and behaviors of nitrate in alluvial groundwaters in the Keum River watershed area, based on regional hydrogeochemical study. Most of the collected samples (n = 186) are polluted by nitrate (average = 42.2 mg/L, maximum = 295 mg/L). About 29% of the samples have the nitrate concentrations exceeding Korean Drinking Water Standard (44 mg/L $NO_3$). The distribution of nitrate concentrations in the study area is largely dependant on geochemical environments of alluvial aquifers. In particular, the decrease of redox potential of alluvial groundwaters showed a good correlation with the decreases of nitrate, iron, and manganese concentrations. Thus, the change of redox state in alluvial aquifers, likely reflecting their sedimentary environments, controls both the behavior and fate of nitrogen compounds and their natural attenuation (denitrification) in aquifers. A carbon-rich, silty layer within alluvium strata forms a reducing condition and possesses a buffering capacity on nitrate pollution.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.313-323
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• 2022

To investigate antioxidant effects of tea tree root extracts using various extraction methods, cytotoxicity, DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging, SOD, nitrite scavenging activity and inhibitory activity of lipid peroxidation, reducing power, ferrous ion chelating activity were measured. Cytotoxicity for RAW 264.7 cells was not observed at concentrations treated with below 90 ㎍/mL in all extracts. The maximum DPPH radical, nitrite scavenging, SOD activity and inhibitory activity of lipid peroxidation were obtained at the ethylacetate and 70% ethanol extract. The maximum ABTS radical scavenging activity was obtained at the ethylacetate and hot water extract. However, in the case of reducing power and ferrous ion chelating activity, they were obtained at 70% ethanol and hexane extract, respectively. Nitrate scavenging activity showed the most excellent scavenging ability of 59.6% at 90 ㎍/mL of ethylacetate. The hexane extract had the highest ferrous ion chelating activity, showing 61.05% at 50 ㎍/mL, 66.07% at 70 ㎍/mL and 76.81% at 90 ㎍/mL, respectively. The results of this research show that the ethylacetate and 70% ethanol extracts of tea tree root can be used as a natural material for scavenging the radicals. However, future study is necessary to understand the mechanism of antioxidant activity by identification of substances.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.556-562
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• 2015

In order to remove the organic substances and the nitrate-nitrogen contained in wastewater, some researchers have studied the simultaneous removal of organics and nitrogen by using different biocathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The operating conditions for removing the contaminants in the MFCs are the external resistances, HRTs, the concentration of the influent wastewater, and other factors. This study aimed to determine the effect of the external resistors and organic loading rates, from the changing HRT, on the removal of the organics and nitrogen and on the production of electric power using the Denitrification Biocathode - Microbial Fuel Cell (DNB-MFC). As regards the results of the study, the removal efficiencies of $SCOD_{Cr}$ did not show any difference, but the nitrate-nitrogen removal efficiencies were increased by decreasing the external resistance. The maximum denitrification rate achieved was $129.2{\pm}13.54g\;NO_3{^-}-N/m^3/d$ in the external resistance $1{\Omega}$, and the maximum power density was $3,279mW/m^3$ in $10{\Omega}$. When the DNB-MFC was operated with increasing influent organic and nitrate loading by reducing the HRTs, the $NO_3{^-}-N$ removal efficiencies were increased linearly, and the maximum nitrate removal rate was $1,586g\;NO^3{^-}-N/m^3/d$ at HRT 0.6 h.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.785-791
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• 2021

Many lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have probiotic properties that exert various health benefits. In this study, the reduction potential of nitrogen oxide compounds and ferric ions by six LAB, including Lactobacillus kimchicus, L. lactis, L. casei, L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus GG, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides were evaluated. The L. kimchicus strain produced a substantial amount of nitrite reduced from nitrate added to the media, whereas the other five LAB strains did not. L. kimchicus also showed the most potent reducing activity of ferric to ferrous ions. However, the reduction potential of the autoclaved L. kimchicus was little pronounced. The scavenging activities of viable LAB or their cell lysates against different radicals were not consistent with the potency of the LAB's reducing ability. The present results indicate that L. kimchicus has a strong reduction potential for nitrogen oxides in viable status, and that this ability can be used as a probiotic property for various health benefits.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.191-200
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• 2014

Gas hydrates play a significant role in the global carbon cycle and climate change because methane, a greenhouse gas, can be released from the dissociation of gas hydrate. Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is an important process that consumes more than 90% of the methane released into the hydrosphere and atmosphere. In this study, the microbial community associated with the methane gas hydrate sediment in the Ulleung basin, East Sea of Korea (UBGH) was analyzed by phylogenetic analysis of the mcrA and 16S rRNA gene libraries. A vertical stratification of the dominating anaerobic methane oxidizer (ANME)-1 group was observed at the surface and the sulfate methane transition zone (SMTZ). The ANME-2c group was found to be dominant in the high methane layer. The archaea of marine benthic group B, which is commonly observed in the AOM region, accounted for more than 50% of the identifications in all sediments. Nitrate reducing bacteria were predominant at SMTZ (Halomonas: 56.5%) and high methane layer (Achromobacter: 52.6%), while sulfate reducing bacteria were not found in UBGH sediments. These results suggest that the AOM process may be carried out by a syntrophic consortium of ANME and nitrate reducing bacteria in the gas hydrates of the Ulleung Basin of the East Sea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.179-185
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• 2001

Nitrate grown cells of cyanobacterium Plectonema boryanum, transferred to nitrogen stress, evolved nitrogenase catalyzed $H_2$ under microaerophilic condition. Nitrogen ($N_2$) in gs phase, low light intensity, and reducing substances in incubation phase stimulated $N_2$fixation ($H_2\;evolution$). Cyanobacterium grew slowly under microaerobic condition with a low intracellular ammonia pool. Nitrogen sources (${NO_3}^-,{NH_4}^+,\;and\;CH_3NH_3$) inhibited nitrogenase and glutamine synthetase (GS) transferase activity, and methylamine behaved like an ammonical nitrogen source. Depletion of molybdenum (Mo) and addition of tungsten (W) in the incubation medium inhibited $H_2$ evolution, Cyanobacterium was able to take up nitrate and expressed nitrate reductase (NR) activity under microaerophilic condition at an extremely slow rate.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.308-312
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• 1995

The effects of nitrogen, phosphate in modified B5 medium and cell immobilization on cell growth and taxol production were investigated using cell cultures of Taxus cuspidata. The ratio of nitrate to ammonium was found to be an important parameter. The ratio of 1 increased taxol production 10-fold, compared to the original ratio of 20 in modified B5 medium. Reducing phosphate concentration inhibited cell growth, but increased taxol production noticeably. Immobilized cells produced a taxol concentration of ${\sim}120\;g/l$

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.368-371
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• 2003

Accidental release of petroleum products from underground storage tank(USTs) is one of the most common causes of groundwater contamination. BTEX is the major components of fuel oils, which are hazardous substances regulated by many nations. In addition to BTEX, other gasoline consituents such as MTBE(methyl-t-buthyl ether), anphthalene are also toxic to humans. Natual attenuation processes include physic, chemical, and biological trasformation. Aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation are believed to be the major processes that account for both containment of the petroleum-hydrocarbon plum and reduction of the contaminant concentrations. Aerobic bioremediation has been highly effective in the remediation of many fuel releases. However, Bioremediation of aromatic hydrocarbons in groundwater and sediments is ofen limited by the inability to provide sufficient oxygen to the contaminated zones due to the low water solubility of oxygen. Anaerobic processes refer to a variety of biodegradation mechanisms that use nitrate, ferric iron, sulfate, and carbon dioxide as terminal electron accepters. The objectives of this study was to conduct laboratory-scale microcosm studies in assessing enhanced bioremediation potential of BTEX and MTBE under various electron accepters(aerobic, nitrate, ferric iron, sulfate) in contaminated Soil. these results suggest that, presents evidence and a variety pattern of the biological removal of aromatic compounds under enhanced nitrate-, Fe(III)-, sulfate-reducing conditions.